The U.S. Supreme Court is considering striking down Roe v. Wade and allowing states to outlaw abortion, according to a leaked draft of a ruling published by Politico on Monday.
The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, and banning abortion has long been a main goal of the conservative movement. If the justices do overturn Roe, it would have several immediate effects on North Carolina.
Abortions wouldn’t immediately be entirely banned in the state. But a state law banning abortions after 20 weeks, with few exceptions, would likely be allowed to go into effect for the first time. That law was put on hold after passing and was later ruled unconstitutional, since it violated Roe. But if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe, the legal challenges against the North Carolina law could dissipate. How fast that would happen is an open question.
